


Awkward

by KnightsofEclipse



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, In case you wanted your heart broken today, mention of kate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 21:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnightsofEclipse/pseuds/KnightsofEclipse
Summary: Sometimes a hug is all you need to make things right. It reads as fluff until the end. I'm so sorry.





	Awkward

Her baseball cap fell to the side as her body was forced to the ground. The sound of gunfire drowned out anything she could have said. She peered over to see the last shred of fabric that had previously been her hat being shot into nothing. Her breath caught in her throat, thinking that she had been there a moment before. 

She tried to get up but the body still holding her down had a different idea. Staying low and acting as a shield, he pulled her to the cover of a small stack of crates. He wouldn’t look at her, instead keeping his focus on the shooters who were still obscured by the rooftops. She tried to say something, anything, but his hand cupped over her mouth.

A hissing came from the radio at her waist and he snatched it up, popping the battery out as if that was his intention. Silence filled the alley way, not a muscle moved between the two for fear of giving away their location.

The seconds felt like hours and it was driving her crazy. How long did he intend to hold their position without any contact to the rest of the team? She pulled her sleeve back to see her wrist watch had been lost in the scuffle. ‘Great,’ she thought, dramatically throwing her arms into her lap. ‘I do not even know how long it has been.’

“Just a minute longer.” His voice startled her. She shifted position, coming over to crouch next to him and attempting to see around the side of the crate. “They’re moving,” he warned. His hand reached back to push her more behind him, using his own body as a shield once more.

She was about to protest when three more shots rang out. They were clearer and more precise than the rapid fire that had demolished her hat; the gun shot of a federal agent. Heavy boot steps moved in, giving chase to anyone the bullets had not burdened. She tried to stand, hoping to be of some help to her fellow agents, but was pulled back and a hand clamped over her mouth.

“Just wait,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder instead of at her. She listened for what may have alerted him but heard nothing. When he didn’t let go of her, a sinking feeling began to grow in her stomach. 

‘It is nothing,’ she tried to reason with herself. ‘He is just being overly cautious.’ She tried to regulate her breathing, refusing to admit that they longer they sat there the more worried she grew. ‘He knows what he is doing.’ She reached up to grab his wrist in what she thought was a reassuring manner.

“Not a word,” he hissed, removing his hand from her mouth and twisting it around to hold her trembling fingers. Until his strong digits closed around her slender ones she had not even noticed she was shaking. What was wrong with her? Everything was going to be fine. She trusted him with her life. And she had assumed he trusted her with his. 

They waited, not moving, sitting in that awkward hug that she didn’t quite feel comfortable with. ‘I should not feel so awkward. I am just as skilled as him, if not more,’ she tried to reason. ‘Then why do I feel so helpless…and scared?’ Never before had she considered that she could be scared in the heat of battle. But here she was, sitting nestled into the arms of her colleague, silently praying that he would hold her closer…and let her go at the same time. She just couldn’t come to terms with the conflict inside of her. On the one hand, she was scared. There was no more denying that in this moment she was scared. But on the other hand she knew she had a job to do. Those things were quite clear. What was not clear was why she was letting the scared part of her stop her from doing her job.

She swore he was reading her mind. He shifted around, releasing her from his grip, to look around for any sign of a sneak attack. When it seemed to her that he had seen nothing he rolled back and re-secured her in his arms. One arm snaked its way around her waist while the other was protectively positioned across her collar bone. She couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit safer at the gesture, her straight spine curving back into the contours of his body.

She felt his breath against her ear, it was ragged and shaky, and for a moment her heart rate picked back up. “Wait for my signal,” he whispered. He sounded out of breath, like he had been running instead of just sitting there with her. “When I give the signal; get out of here as fast as you can. I don’t want you to look back. I’ll be right behind you.” He kissed her hair, raising the awkward, uncomfortable feeling back into her stomach.

She cursed silently as he pulled away again and dashed across the open space to another set of crates. She wasn’t sure if she was more pissed at him for leaving her there, without his warmth, or herself for feeling awkward around him. She wanted to shake it off, push it aside as if it were nothing, but she knew she wouldn’t forgive herself if she didn’t at least try. She took a deep breath and looked over at him; he had pulled his gun and was checking over the top of the single crate. She cast a quick glance behind herself to see the double stacked crates she was seated behind before focusing back on him. ‘I have no reason to feel awkward around him. We just work together. It could never be anything more. No matter what anyone says, he sees me as no different than any other member of his team.’ She nodded, confident in her deduction. 

Her confidence was shot when a bullet just missed her, breaking her elastic as she ducked for cover. Two clean shots were fired from what sounded like just above her head and the crates fell down on top of her. She tried to shield herself from the falling wood, throwing both arms up to cover her face. When impact wasn’t made, she looked up to find three concerned faces looking down at her. Two of them were strained from stopping the crate just in time, the third looked like he might cry if he didn’t have an audience. 

She picked herself up and dusted her knees, trying her best to act like nothing had happened. She offered them all a reassuring smile that she was alright before she was swept up in the hug she had longed to return to. “I would have been fine,” she tried to assure him.

He held her out at arm’s length, looking at her now but not really seeing her. “Fine is not being in this mess to begin with. Kate, the last thing I want is for anything to happen to you. I know you’re a grown woman but I still want to keep you safe.”

She smiled, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. He looped his around her waist and sighed with relief that she wasn’t angry. “I know, Gibbs,” she said kindly. “There is just one thing.”

“And what’s that?” he asked in good nature, a smile apparent in his voice.

She let him have his little chuckle before pulling back to look into his eyes. “I’m Ziva, not Kate.”


End file.
